The New Extravaganza

Date of broadcasting: 16th March 2009 – 10:00 p.m. (MESTZ)

Rabindra Sangeet – A Voice for All!

Rabindra Sangeet is in India a musical-literary concept, which has been established in the 20th century as an own genre. The Indian classical music is embedded in it, likewise the Northern Indian music – Hindustani – and the classical style of South India, the carnatic music. The concept was created by India’s universal genius Rabindranath Tagore.

Tagore’s complete work covers a time period of 60 years till his death in 1941 (7th May 1861 – 7th August 1941) with approximately 1000 poems, two dozen plays, dance dramas, eight novellas, several expenditures of short stories and various literary works with social, religious, political and educational-scientific essays and contributions to film works and as painter.

Tagore is the single composer of two national anthems, that of India („Jana Gana Mana“) and of Bangladesh („Amar Shonar Bangla“) and a dignitary Nobel prize for literature he received in 1913. Tagore was distinguished as first non European for his work „Gitanjali“ which was published in the year 1912 in New York and 1913 in London.

Gitanjali– transliteral means „an offer of songs“ (song offerings | Git = song + Anjoli = offering) – is a collection of 103 English poems. The majority of the poems were translated by Rabindranath Tagore himself. The early edition in Bengali language originates back to the year 1910.

Gitanjali, verse 100:

„Ever in my life have I sought thee with my songs. It was they who led me from door to door, and with them have I felt about me, searching and touching my world.
It was my songs that taught me all the lessons I ever learnt; they showed me secret paths, they brought before my sight many a star on the horizon of my heart.

They guided me all the day long to the mysteries of the country of pleasure and pain, and, at last, to what palace gate have they brought me in the evening at the end of my journey...?”

The University Visva Bharati founded by R. Tagore accommodates today a multiplicity of institutes, among the Sangit Bhavana (institutes of Dance, Drama and Music). The first director was Tagore’s nephew Dinendranath Tagore. He lived from 1882 to 1935. Dinendranath was a talented and outstanding singer with Bariton voice, who can be characterized as an art director of Rabindranath’s plays and manager of the dramaturgical department of the Visva Bhar ati University. We owe Rabindranath’s compositions documented in written form to Dinendranath’s knowledge of Western music notation.

The music department (music board) of the Visva Bharati University was established three years after Tagore’s demise in the year 1944. Today it is concerned with Tagore festivals and with educational lessons for Rabindra Sangeet in Kolkatta.

Tagore’s heritance is celebrated in India with many Tagore festivals as the annual ceremony of Kapipranam, Tagore’s birthday on 7th May. Pilgrimages from Kolkatta to Shantiniketan and solemn song evenings to festive causes are deeply rooted in the Bengal culture. Abroad the birthday of Tagore is celebrated, e.g. with the annual Tagore-Festival in Urbana (US Federal State Illinois). This festival celebrated it’s 20th anniversary in the year 2008.

With the poem „Prosno“ in Bangla, the native language of Tagore is still existing one of the very few recordings of Tagore’s voice. Tagore’s voice arrange the sound aesthetics and metric of his lyrics applicably. This documentary is note dated exactelly.
itanjali, Vers 100:

„Ever in my life have I sought thee with my songs. It was they who led me from door to door, and with them have I felt about me, searching and touching my world.
It was my songs that taught me all the lessons I ever learnt; they showed me secret paths, they brought before my sight many a star on the horizon of my heart.
They guided me all the day long to the mysteries of the country of pleasure and pain, and, at last, to what palace gate have they brought me in the evening at the end of my journey?”

In German Version


Die von Tagore begruendete Universitaet Visva Bharati („Gemeinschaft der Welt mit Indien – Community of World with India) beherbergt eine Vielzahl von Instituten, u.a. das Sangit Bhavana (Institute of Dance, Drama and Music). Der erste Leiter war Dinendranath Tagore. Er lebte von 1882 bis 1935. Dinendranath war der Neffe von Rabindranat Tagore – ein talentierter und herausragender Saenger in Baritonlage, der sich als kuenstlerischer Leiter von Rabindranath’s Theaterstuecken und als Direkter der dramaturgischen Abteilung der Visva-Bharati Universitaet auszeichnete. Ihm sind mit Kenntnis der westlichen Notation die Niederschriften einer Vielzahl der Melodien von Rabindranath’s Kompositionen zu verdanken.

Die Abteilung „Musik“ (Music Board) der Visva-Bharati Universitaet, wurde drei Jahre nach dem Ableben von Tagore im Jahre 1944 errichtet. Heute ist sie mit der Ausrichtung von Tagore Festivals und mit Unterrichtsangeboten im Rabindra Sangeet in Kolkatta befasst.

Tagore’s Erbe wird in Indien in Form von Tagore Festivals gefeiert, der alljaehrlichen Zeremonie von Kapipranam, Tagore’s Geburtstag am 07. Mai. Wallfahrten von Kolkatta nach Shantiniketan und feierliche Liederabende zu festlichen Anlaessen sind in der bengalischen Kultur tief verwurzelt. Auch im Ausland wird der Geburtstag von Tagore gefeiert, mit dem jaehrlichen Tagore-Festival in Urbana (US-Bundesstaat Illinois). Dieses Festival konnte im Jahre 2008 sein 20-Jaehriges Jubilaeum feiern.

Mit dem Gedicht „Prosno“ in Bangla, der Muttersprache Tagores existiert eine der wenigen noch existierenden Aufnahmen. Sie ist nicht naeher datiert. Tagore’s Stimme vermittelt uns die Klangaesthetik und Metrik seiner Dichtkunst auf’s Trefflichste.





Indian Classics; North Indian Classical music; Hindustani; Carnatic; South Indian Classical Music; Raga CDs of the months; Rabindra Sangeet; Rabindranath Tagore; national anthems; Jana Gana Mana; Amar Shonar Bangla; Nobel prize; Gitanjali; song offerings; Bengali; University Visva Bharati; Sangit Bhavana; institutes of Dance, Drama and Music; Dinendranath Tagore; Kapipranam; Shantiniketan